Based on laws enacted in Missouri in 2013, the TCD System is established for emergency medical care for patients with a trauma, stroke, or STEMI, a potentially fatal form of heart attack. In those guidelines, “patients who suffer a stroke, as defined by section 190.100 shall be transported to a stroke center.”

“We are extremely proud of this designation and overall, establishing these Level 1 centers will greatly help stroke patients in the region,” says Eli Feen, MD, SLUCare neurologist at Saint Louis University Hospital.

According to the new guidelines, a Level I stroke center is “a receiving center staffed and equipped to provide total care for every aspect of stroke care, including care for those patients with complications that also functions as a resource center for the hospitals within that region, and conducts research.”

SLU Hospital was surveyed for Level 1 status by reviewers in 2014 for things such as the ability to perform reperfusion, and 24/7 coverage by neurologists.

“This designation helps our fellow members of the MidAmerica Stroke Network by giving those hospitals access to the latest in stroke research, protocols and technology,” says Dr. Feen, who also serves as medical director of the stroke network.

The MidAmerica Stroke Network was founded in 2008 and currently has over 60 member facilities with SLU Hospital serving as the “hub” in a “hub and spoke” model.

“A stroke requires quick assessment, diagnosis and treatment and it is important these patients have access to therapies as quickly as possible,” says Lisa Erlinger, RN, SLU Hospital stroke coordinator. “We feel the designation of centers by the state of Missouri will help save lives.”

For a complete list of TCD stroke centers in Missouri, click here, and for more about the MidAmerica Stroke Network, click here.

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About Saint Louis University Hospital

Saint Louis University Hospital is a 356-licensed bed quaternary/tertiary referral center located in the heart of the city of St. Louis. Approximately 75 percent of patients are drawn from a 150-mile radius. Through affiliation as the teaching hospital for Saint Louis University, the hospital provides patients and their families with an environment of medical innovation. Working in this endeavor are the hospital’s medical staff partners, SLUCare, the physicians of Saint Louis University. The hospital admits more than 17,000 patients annually and is a Level I Trauma Center that treats more than 2,000 major trauma cases a year. For more information, please visit www.sluhospital.com.